Federal Sport Minister Bridget McKenzie has apologised for appearing to mock overweight people at a national obesity summit in Canberra.
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The deputy leader of the Nationals apologised after being photographed puffing out her face and rubbing her stomach while standing next to a banner advertising Friday's summit.
Ms McKenzie, who recently shifted her office from Bendigo to Wodonga, blamed her actions on a bad reaction to breakfast.
"The issue of obesity is a matter I take very seriously and would never (trivialise) it - or to add in any way to stigmatisation," she said in response to the photo on Twitter, originally posted by former Border Mail journalist Rob Harris.
"I sincerely apologise for this very unfortunate photo taken as I demonstrated how my stomach felt after scrambled eggs reacted (with) yogurt I had just eaten."
In a statement released on Friday, the senator said two thirds of adults and a quarter of children aged five to 17 years were overweight or obese.
She said groups more likely to be overweight or obese included men, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, people without post-school qualifications, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those born overseas.
It’s not the first time Senator McKenzie has made headlines in the past month.
“It’s a role I cherish and adore, and want to continue in,” Senator McKenzie said at the time.
Former Wodonga mayor Mark Byatt was later announced as the Nationals’ candidate for Indi, going up against independent Helen Haines, Liberal Steve Martin and Labor’s Eric Kerr.
Senator McKenzie refused to comment on whether she should be treated the same way as Sussan Ley, who was dumped as health minister in 2017 after it emerged she bought an investment property on the Gold Coast.
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